The Argonian Republic
Formed roughly four-hundred years ago by a small confederacy of influential Argonian clans for the purpose of advancing science and technology for the species as a whole, the 'Republic' title is a fairly new label on a rather old idea. There was much opposition to what was first termed the 'Modernist Party', with many tribes and clans seeing it as an attempt to consolidate power and combine armies for the purpose of conquest. The opposing 'Traditionalist Party' rose to resist. The resulting civil war raged for nearly two centuries, but as the Modernists developed more advanced technologies, training programs, and tactics, their smaller numbers began to win larger and larger victories. Eventually, the Modernist military forces, equipped with efficient firearms designs and operating according to highly effective and refined military doctrines, prevailed over the Traditionalist faction and the Argonian Republic was established in earnest. Two-hundred years after the Republic was established, explorers in the northern artic pole discovered a nearly-intact alien vessel, which had crashed at some point during the Argonian Stone Age, and brought the vessel back to the main Republican Science Facility in the capitol city of Gray Rock for study. No cadavers of alien pilots were ever found. Present day Republic society is prosperous. Numerous cities have risen from the marshlands across the swampy globe, connected by air-terminals and mono-rail train transportation. The government holds elections every four years for a new president, always female, and operates off of a two-party system. 'Modernist' candidates support often radical departures from fundamental Argonian tradition, where 'Traditionalist' candidates typically favor a return to simpler times, and often have religious backing. While the civil war was deemed 'won' centuries ago, a strong guerrilla movement has remained, fighting Modernist troops in the marshes and attempting to hold as much ground as possible from their more advanced brethren. In light of these, the more fundamental candidates the Traditionalist Party nominates are often viewed with suspicion, and any connection to the insurgency movement, no matter how small, tends to doom their political career from the start. Government and Citizenship Outwardly, the Argonian Republic is overseen by a duly-elected President and a cabinet of advisors from the planet's fifteen provinces. The Provincial Advisor is the elected representative of his home province, which is actually overseen and governed by an appointed Provincial Governor, who answers only to the President herself. This is a nod to concerns raised by Traditionalist leaders who feared Modernist totalitarian control violated the Argonian 'Statute of Freedom', a document created at the beginning of the Republic to guarantee certain rights and freedoms for all Argonian people, one of the first tenants being the freedom from government oppression and one-party leadership. While the Provincial Governor handles the actual governing of the province, the Provincial Advisor makes sure the concerns of his province's people are heard by the President herself. In a system of checks and balances, the President is elected by both a majority and Advisory Cabinet vote. While any citizen of the Argonian Republic can vote, it is rare the still tribal majority ever sees a ballot box. As such, the Advisory Cabinet is the deciding factor in election, made up of the fifteen Provincial Advisors, who act for the good of their own province. Provincial Advisors are often prominent tribal leaders, chieftains, or in some rare cases, shamans of the Argonian Temple if their home province is a particularly devout one. Full citizenship is granted to individuals 21 years of age who have served their term of enlistment in the Argonian Armed Forces. Children and adolescents under that age barrier are considered 'citizens' until their status is ratifed at the enlistment office. Individuals choosing to serve longer than the two year initial phase are allowed to do so, and in doing earn additional benefits as their years in service accumulate. Those who do not serve do not gain full citizenship, and are not allowed to vote in elections or apply for government assistance in any way. In an underhanded sort of way, this alienates many tribally-born Argonians from casting votes, as many have no desire to serve the goverment that continues to wage war on their freedom-minded insurgent brethren. Religion Most Argonians worship a pair of gods collectively known as the 'Argonian Temple' or 'Argonian Pantheon' if the numerous warrior cults are included, although warrior cult worship is still only a tradition among small groups of soldiers or in the deep marsh where the government has little influence. The Argonian faith is rather unique in the aspect that it has no discernable 'bad' deity. Both gods are worshipped for their place in the cycle of existance, although some parts of society tend to praise one or the other more highly. The god of life and light is a deity known as 'Makaal', also referred to as the 'All-Father' or 'Life Father'. He is supposedly the provider of light, and master of the sun. He is worshipped to grant blessings of purity, fertility, kindness, and health. Makaal is said to oversee the Argonian incarnation of 'heaven'. Sithis, the god of death and darkness, is also referred to as the 'Night Father' or 'Night Bringer'. As his titles suggest, he oversees death and the falling of night. Sithis is worshipped for blessings of stealth, lethality, protection from death, and restful sleep. He is also the steward of the Nine Hells, the various layers of the underworld. Not all are designed as punishments for various sins, however. It is said the ninth Hell is an alternate paradise for those who have earned the death god's favor. Commerce and Trade The Argonian people enjoy a largely militarized society, where every full citizen has served at least a single term in one of the planet's military forces. As such, weapons manufacture is a well-regarded occupation, as well as the ancient art of making blades. The incredibly old clan name of 'Longtail' holds the strongest grasp on the metal-working industry, with their blades being the most highly sought-after items they manufacture, after which their clan jewelry smiths are the next most prized for their peerless precision work with precious metals and gems. Firearms are rather primitive by galactic standards, having reached 21st century equivalent technology. Advanced polymers are frequently seeing more and more use in firearm and body armor manufacture. Along with blades and jewelry, Argonian gunsmiths have seen a large resurgence in recent years, making fine custom variants of the more popular handgun and rifle variants. With the largely unrestricted weaponry laws in Argonian society, civilian ownership has always been a strong market, at least for non-military automatic models. Other major industries include commerical farming and fishing, as the oceans that cover a good portion of the water-rich surface are vast and the species of fish are highly diverse. Argonian diets are required to be high in protein, and fish-based sources are always in high demand. Like every other aspect of their industrial base, fishing is highly regulated to prevent harm to the environment. Additional water-based industries include hydrogen refinement for fuel use and deep-diving for shell-fish, which remains largely a tribally-run industry. Tribals also enjoy a monopoly on the rarer species of fish that inhabit the shallower waterways and mangrove forests that commerical fishermen are incapable of accessing, due to government environment sanctions and the sheer size of commercial fishing vessels. Tribal-caught fish is also a sort of delicacy among affluent city-dwelling Argonians. Tribal Life Tribals dominate nearly seventy-five percent of the total Argonian population, and for the most part inhabit a series of villages that dot the dense marshland continents and the sandy island chains that comprise Argonia's various land masses. At an early age, they are exposed to hardship and death, and are taught that survival and self-reliance are the most important of virtues. Males begin training as warriors around the age of seven, learning the basics of knife-fighting and bushcraft survival until the age of seventeen where they undergo a coming-of-age ceremony known as the 'Warrior Trials'. The specifics vary between villages and tribal demographics, but they generally include recovering the skinned hide or teeth of various fearsome marshland beasts, as well as surviving unaided in the marshes themselves for a lengthy period of time with only their knife. Those that return are treated as adults from then on, and allow to take a single mate. Male tattoo markings indicate village origin on their forearms, and the upper arms and torso are reserved for warrior markings, indicating events such as past battles, victories, membership in a warrior-cult, among other things. The neck, face, and snout are reserved for patterns denoting leadership status as a warrior, such as a chieftain or military sergeant. Males are not only warrior, as many follow the path of the craftsman, and their tattoo scheme will reflect such a path. Female tribals are typically the leadership of the tribe, although there are female warriors are well. As males have been deemed to be too aggressive for village leadership outside of inter-tribal wars, females typically handle all leadership of a given tribe, as well as leadership in their own homes. Males are expected to be providers and protectors, for the most part. While a male will select a mate, the female has a say in the matter. The pairing must be mutually agreed-on, as divorces are rare and those that do are not allowed to marry again until they have completed a perilous ritual of purity as directed by the village's shaman. Females are free to pursue the career path of their choice, including the path of the warrior if they are able to pass the 'Warrior Trials' of their village. Many find the path of the blacksmith a suitable non-leadership calling, although no matter the profession the female is still expected to manage the affairs of the household. Female tattoo patterns denote village of birth on their forearms, where the torso and legs are reserved for markings of their husband's home village and her chosen profession. As with the males, neck, face, and snout patterns are marks of leaders, in the female case it can mean a wide variety of things depending on her chosen career path. Warrior patterns, craftsmaiden patterns, and village leadership patterns often adorn the faces of those female Argonians who have walked long on their chosen path. Shaman-hood is a gender-neutral occupation, where both sexes are free to pursue the tribal-themed worship of the two principal dieties as well as the various warrior-cults and attend to the spiritual needs of their village. Generally, a shaman will select up to two apprentices to be trained as his successors on his death. However, only one may actually inherit his title, the other must challenge the successor in combat, or otherwise leave the village and pursue their shaman-hood alone or in a village without a shaman, be that by coincidence or the result of an honor-duel between shamans is inconsequential. The newcomer may, however, encounter hostile treatment if they remove a particularly favored holy figure. Shamans mark their bodies in a slightly different method than most Argonians. While forearms still convey village of origin, the remainder of their bodies is devoted to a colorful array of tattoo work derived from their particular success as holy individuals. No other Argonian is allowed color in their tattoo patterns. Tribals who venture away from the marshes and into the cities encounter several issues, many of which stem from their striking tattoo culture and the presence of their knives. An Argonian marshlander would sooner part with his own arm than part with his knife. Due to their relative lack of education, many wind up in food service, general labor, law enforcement, and physical security related positions where their combative talents are best put to use or at the very least their primal strength harnessed. Many find acceptance in the military, where the tattoo culture and warrior culture they revere is encouraged and rewarded, and the various branches are where the tribals find the most equality. Military Structure The Argonian military has recently undergone a serious restructuring in the wake of the discovery of sustainable space-flight. The surface Navy has been largely abandoned, most of its personnel reassigned and its ships recycled for star-ship materials. All that remains in a small branch dedicated to patrolling the marshlands in small riverine craft, known as the Marshland Security Service. The MSS performs myriad duties, to include maritime law enforcement and small-scale insurgency pacification. While not a true military branch, they are trained in the same programs as the Argonian marines, and are expected to be highly adept warriors. Many marshlanders fill the ranks of the MSS as well, as the posting allows them to be stationed near home and complete their mandatory service time for citizenship without serving off-world. The Argonian Navy has become the most well-funded branch, and by extension the Marine Corps as their dedicated first-line invasion force. As with the former surface Navy, all naval personnel are heavily drilled in counter-boarding exercises and each is issued a sidearm to use towards that end when they cannot access the weapons lockers located at various points throughout the space vessel. Argonian Marines are highly-trained warriors, drilled to board enemy vessels, land on enemy planets, and act as a beach-head force for the more numerous Argonian Army. They maintain their own limited armored support, which is also a new concept for the Argonian military at large, since their swampy homeland has not allowed for heavily armored vehicles to see much widespread deployment. Marines fill the generalist role in the Argonian military, able to fight in zero-gravity (aboard ships, at least), repel boarders, invade planets, and act as a vanguard force of sorts. They're always the first to arrive, as the Navy ships that carry them are the only means of transportation. The Argonian Army is a large organization, and forms the primary ground combat arm of the Argonian military, with formations of infantry supported by their own integrated armor and artillery support. Each regiment consists of four battalions; each containing four companies, two infantry, one armored, and one artillery, all able to act as their own fire support and transportation. Various specialized regiments do away with some of those aspects in favor of more infantry companies, such as airborne (now drop-pod) regiments. Army personnel are famed for their iron discipline. Their ranks do not break, and when forced to withdraw they will often set well-coordinated ambushes to attempt to retake the initiative and regain the upper hand in battle. Marshlander Scout Regiments are another common entity, and are for the most part reservist formations where potential citizens can serve a double term instead of serving a full two years, yet remain close to home. Some regiments, however, have more specialized mission profiles, and fall under Argonian SOCOM. Most MSRs have full-time special forces personnel manning their command cadre at the company level, to keep the Army special forces occupied and further reinforce their role as force multipliers. Argonian Special Operations Command is the umbrella organization for the various branches' specialized troops. The Army's Special Forces, Marshlander Commandos, and psychological operations make up their contribution to the branch. The Navy's Special Task and Recon (STAR) teams and the Marine Raider groups round out the military contributions to the SOC. A few Argonian Intelligence Service units also work under the SOCOM umbrella. The Special Forces are a highly-trained unconventional force mainly intended to infiltrate behind enemy lines and train indigenous personnel to wage an effective guerrilla campaign on their own. Due to their high level of proficency in several key disciplines of warfare, they are often called on for raids or to extract high-value personnel from enemy installations, although their mission profiles vary widely to perform any task normal troops are not equipped or trained to hande. This can include counter-terrorism and direct action against enemy troop formations. SF prefer to operate in a clandestine manner, and are typically used as extra muscle on AIS operations. Special Forces troops are issued the very best equipment, and are expected to maintain the highest standards of professionalism. Marshlander Commandos are drawn from the Scout Regiments, and are selected based on combat aptitude, experience, and cunning. Typically deployed in a long-range recconnisance role ahead of other units, they are also experts in guerrilla warfare and will occasionally assist Special Forces personnel in leading larger formations of indigenous troops. Commandos are famous throughout the branches for their physical toughness and general bravado. Commandos are issued only light weapons, and prefer to fight on their own terms. They frequently employ stealth and their knives to great effect. They are also rather fond of archaic and scavenged weaponry and equipment, and even with antique rifles their snipers are remarkably lethal. Naval STAR teams fill the role of pathfinders for the Navy and its Marine Corps during planetary landings. In addition to being tasked with destroying potential threats to the invasion effort, STAR operators are also expected to establish the initial drop-zones for either Marine landing craft or Army drop-pods. They also coordinate various orbital support packages, to include future space fighters and orbital strikes. Their combative and stealth training makes them well-suited for several other mission profiles as well, able to act as boarders during ship-to-ship combat or act as personal protection operatives for important personages on board Naval vessels. STAR operators are given access to the best and most specialized of equipment, and tend to be of a secretive nature. Marine Raiders fill a similar role to the Marshlander Commandos, but are intended and equipped more to handle heavier demolition and sabotage projects, as well as acting as a rear-guard force for withdrawing Marines, should they be pushed off-planet during the initial landing attempt. They differ from their Marshlander Commando brothers in the sense that they are truly amphibious in their operational mandate, acting in EVA operations for Explosive Ordnance Disposal functions as well as enemy vessel sabotage.